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I said i would pen a yarn,so here goes.Firstly a background,I live on a central Australian beef property witch i own and run.It's about 1100 sq miles of arid semi desert runing about 6000 cattle.As you could imagine i am eternaly graitful to the inventers , perfecters and builders of the gyro.I mainly use my single seat 912 Rosco machine for all mustering,bore runing{checking the 19 watering points to make sure my cows have water,about a 250 KM trip,3 times a week in summer},fence checking,fire spoting,to name a few exuses.On this particular day i was about 150 KM in to a bore run,flying at around 100' over a vast,flat plain covered with thick witchity bush scrub,a woody bush 8-10 feet high,when i noticed a faint shadow within the shadow of my rotors.My heart stoped and my blood ran cold,I knew straight away what it was.It was the only ferel,kamacarzy,absolutly mad eagle on the property.All the other eagles,cockatoos,budgys and even crows don't care about the gyro,some may come up to check it out but they don't chalange it.This eagle in my shadow has chased me many times,usualy while i'm busy mustering,and a couple of times he tryed to pin me to the ground while taking off,but this time I had time,and fuel to spare.I WAS GOING TO TEACH THIS BARSTED A LESSON.His shadow,I figrerd,being faint and in mine,put him roughly 100'up and 100 yards behind me.I kept my eye on it while I planed my revenge.Easing to full throttle,his shadow started slipping back,butit was becoming clearer,and smaller.He has folded his wings and is diving at my ass,his usual tactic{i'm worried he might be quear}.Suddenly I pull hard back and left,this giving me the advantage of a tail wind and charge straight at him.This startled him as he did a hard right and dived away from me,but I was on his hammer,full throttle,scimming the witchity bush and weaving left and right between some taller ghost gums.He always kept one eye over his shoulder as he tryed desperatly to shake me,as the gap between us was closing fast,only 50' now.I remember thinking how easly I out manuvered this king of the skys,laughted loudly and yelled,I GOT YOU NOW YOU BASTERED,YOU'R NOT GOING TO HUMBUG ME AGAIN.I spoke too soon,as he reached the thermal he was heading for,he shot up almost verticaly and was leaving me behind.I was in the thermal now too but he had a far supereor climb rate to me.Thincking I had put the wind up him big time,I was about to pull out of the chase when the tail end of the eagle turned in to a missile with big yellow eyes.It's unbeleavable how fast the advantage can change sides, the chaser was now the chased.Coming straight down,at ME ,I had to chicken out,I was not in a position to test his bluff.Pulling hard right and back the machine,with the 912 still screaming,went almost inverted.This was a ripper of a move as it turned out,the eagle must have thoughtI was showing my 'tallons' and he,at the same time,pulled hard back and right too.I righted the machine and backed off the power,flew a wide circle while looking for the enemy,but That was the last time I saw the suicide eagle.Quite sad realy,the end of an exiting challenge.I resumed my boring bore run and landed at the next bore.I looked over the machine but found no blood or guts,shook some lumps out of my jocks,rolled a smoke and walked around to settle the nerves,and smiled at the gyro as I pondered how the eagle almost landed in my lap.[8D]
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GOOD STORY MATE,I dont think the girls in the fixed wing fraternity could out do you with that one!
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Mark,the girls who fly fridged,ridged machines don't have a problem with eagles,thare too high,too fast and carn't see behind.
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Sorry,i owe an apolagy to the flyers of the fridged ridged aircraft.If any aviaters are girls blouwsers it woud be us gyronauts.Aferall,we fly the most stable machines ever to leave the ground.You wouldn't catch me dead chasing cows in a fridged ridged.
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THE BASTERDS BACK.[
!]Woz fly'n the bore run again this mor'n and wot did I see, THAT bloody shadow.[:0]Trouble woz, I woz in the RAF and couldn't see behind me, but as soon as I yanked the machine round he took off.[}
]Hopefuly I'v put the wind up im again.[the basterd gives me the creeps].[xx(]Ignorance is bliss............but only till you realise you were.Ingratitude stinks.......be generous carefully.
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Birdman,I always know when you go to pen a yarn it'll be a good one.Don't fix that eagle, we need you to keep him there for amusements sakes.Cheers,Nick.
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I can assure you Nick, its no fun seeing that speck out of the corner of your eye closing in at the speed of a FA 18.Its a instant decision which way, how far to bank and how quick you can get full power going !!Tis amazing for a big bird how quick they can come out of a nest below and just in front of you.David Jackson got one in the rotors a few years ago, he landed okay but didnt know what he had hit till he walked back and found the carcass.BrianYou never know how far you can go, till you get there !
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Nick It's like most things in life Bloody funny till it happens to YOU!!!! believe it or not this is probably my biggest fear of outback flying .Somebody on the ground call's you up on the UHF laughing his gutt's out and say's YOUR BEING ATTACKED!!!!! YOUR HAIR ON THE BACK OF YOUR NECK STAND'S UP AND YOU NEARLY TWIST YOUR HEAD OFF.SURE ENOUGH THERE IT IS A LITTLE ABOVE AND BEHIND YOUR ROTOR'S VERY PISSED OFF !!!!! As birdy say's it can take a bloody long time to shake them .Sirens don't seem to deter them if anything it makes them more PISSED OFF!!!!! They seem more aggressive when nesting from memory this is July-August . I know a bloke around with a STORCH a wedgee folded it's wings back and attacked him took out the wing struts frightened the life out off him.I wonder what one of the big BUGGERS would do to your rotors.?????? DEANO
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Good yarn birdy, my farms 2200acres - about the same size as the yard around your chook house I'd imagine.I have wedgetails nesting on the place & they often land in the paddock when doin tractor work to check you out. Take some digital photos - love to see your country and some action shots.Cheers,Phil YoungGunningbland
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A bloke not far from ere [Neil bowman] chopped one a couple o years ago with glass rotors Deano.Lucky for im he only chopped one wing off, with no damage to the blade.The eagle had a bit of an uneavan lift problem tho.I'm not wurried bout me rotors, after all the timber I'v chopped with them, I'm more wurried bout me prop coz I don't think it'd fare too good, and that is wot they always seem to be go'n for.Ignorance is bliss............but only till you realise you were.Ingratitude stinks.......be generous carefully.
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Phil, mate, if you wona see this country just shut your eyes and imajine 'red', coz thats all thats ere at the moment.Action??? wots that?? Bloody budgies are the keenest critters out ere, they cum right up under the rotors and check me out.They don't give a sh$% bout the noise.Black cockys love play'n bout too, theres a mod of round 100 that live only a coupke o Ks east of ere and every time I take off they cum up to greet me, so I fly streight at um and split the mob, then do a quick 180 and up um again. They love it, reckon its a real crack up, squark'n their stupid heads off.Ignorance is bliss............but only till you realise you were.Ingratitude stinks.......be generous carefully.
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G'day birdy i'm glad the magpies are a placid little bunch down here i'd pucker if a big fethery grumpy oversized budgie came at me like that. I'd just like to say thanks for the advice you gave me at cooma it made flying heaps easier. matt
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[Now the "S" is go'n to show in the SCG.]You'll av to jog me memory Matt, coz I met alota people at Cooma?????Were you the bloke with the red two banger gyro??Ignorance is bliss............but only till you realise you were.Ingratitude stinks.......be generous carefully.
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yep
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you did bloddy well to remember the gyro and link it back. birdy i suffa from KRAFT when theres lotsa people met not to many names retained
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